Immortality
by The Dark Angel Michael
Summary: The Kyuubi was sealed Into Naruto and minutes after the sealing he was kidnapped. now, after ten years he returns to Konoha, his sensei's teachings making into something more than human but less than god. Good Orochimaru Naruxkure OroxAnko
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

I was brainstorming with a friend and he brought up Orochimaru. We were talking about his immortality jutsu and then I got this idea. At first I thought about making it a NaruxAnko but I already had one of those. I'm trying to write a story for each girl in Naruto's life and Kurenai was my next choice. (NaruxKure) obviously. Also I know not many of you might like this but Orochimaru will be REALLY oc-ish. You'll see what I mean later on (OroxAnko) the age difference won't matter later in the story.

An: Like my other stories this one will have a powerful Naruto. He will not be a godly, uber, or unbeatable till the very end. For the rest of the story he will simply be strong, really strong.

Prologue

"Find him." with their order given the ANBU vanished. The night seemed eerily calm as Sarutobi looked up at the moon. Not even an hour ago his home was on the verge of complete destruction and now there was peace. The Natural sounds of the forest had a calming effect as he continued to look into the sky. The pale mood illuminated the broken village.

The Kyuubi attack had been devastating. Hundreds of people had died, including their Hokage. The old man let out a sigh at the thought. There wouldn't be another like him for a long time. Cold, ruthless, caring, peaceful, happy. He had a balance that many envied. Sadly, they would never see their golden haired Hokage again. The night was a testament to his strength, defeating the strongest of the Bijuu wasn't something that one could just do. Another sigh. Kyuubi had robbed the village of a leader and his family. "At least his son will be safe." He said to himself, trying to see the light of the situation.

Of course without Minato around to protect the boy then he couldn't reveal who his parents were. It would simply be too dangerous. Iwa would make it their goal to claim the defenseless child's life if word got out. Sarutobi looked out at his village. The fires had been doused, the injured were being cared for, and the dead were being identified. Rebuilding the once great village would be no small task.

"Hokage-sama." Sarutobi turned to the name, inwardly he cursed. He would have to return to the position. It wasn't that he disliked being the protector of his village it was simply the 'all-knowing' council that irked him.

"Report."

"Hai." The ANBU rose from his kneeling position to look at his leader. "Mitarashi Anko and Kurenai yuhi are in your office. The cursed seal is glowing red."

He was gone before the ANBU could finish. Appearing in his chair he found an obviously pained Anko and a concerned Kurenai. "Hokage-sama!" Kurenai yelled. She looked back down to her pained friend. "It just started glowing and she collapsed. I didn't know if I should bring her to the hospital and you were the only seal user I could think of. Please help her." her voice broke several times throughout the short speech.

"Let me see It." he said as he quickly moved behind the Anko's chair. He looked down at the seal. His fist unconsciously clenched as he saw it glow. He'd seen it happen once before and that was when it was placed on the young girl. He knew that it was being forcibly activated and he knew that only one person could do it. Blood dripped from his palm as he brought his hands into the seals to re-seal the cursed mark. He quickly brought his hands down onto it." Anko screamed as he made contact with the seal. Guilt gripped the aged Hokage as he watched the young girl scream. He felt the guilt of knowing that his student was responsible for her pain.

**(Anko's mindscape)**

"I hate you."

Orochimaru stared calmly at the girl, showing no signs of caring. "Immortality is what I left for." He started only to have Anko scream.

"I DON'T CARE WHY YOU LEFT!" her knees suddenly lost strength and she crumbled. Unseen by her was the twitch in Orochimaru's body. He restrained every muscle he had to keep from catching her. "I don't care about anything you're involved with." Anko sobbed to herself, knowing that he would hear her.

"Human life is fragile. So quick, so weak that in the blink of an eye it can be over. My only goal was to erase the pain of death." He spoke quietly, hoping to get her to see his reasoning.

"THEN WHY'D YOU LEAVE!?" she yelled again. Even in her mind her throat was beginning to hurt. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked into the eyes of her former sensei. "Why did you brand me and run."

"Did you honestly think I'd take you with me?" he questioned. Anko felt her heart beat quicken. She remembered the last words she'd heard from him, 'you are lacking… the will to seek power.' Those words shattered her. She was left as a husk of her former self when he'd left. Now as she was just recovering, he was back. Why? "I was going to become a missing Nin." He continued, "I told you before I left. You lack the will to seek the power I was after. A power that could only be gained by killing and testing. My labs were kept secret from you because you wouldn't have been able to handle knowing about my tests."

She remembered when the information had become public knowledge. The information that made her sensei guilty of kidnapping people and experimenting with them.

Seeing the look on her face only proved his statement. "You weren't ready for the life that would have forced upon you so I left you. Here you would be able to grow without restraint. Had I allowed you to come with me then you would have been marked as my partner and then you, too, would be hunted. I wouldn't allow that." He couldn't stop himself anymore. He walked up to the girl and crouched in front of her. "I've found the power I was looking for, I have it now. Do you want to know something?" he asked as he looked into her eyes. She gave a small nod. "I didn't kill anyone. I didn't cut anyone open or use any jutsu. I kidnapped an orphan, that's it."

Anko's immediately when wide eyed. The last time he kidnapped children almost all of them died. She felt her rage resurfacing as her arms tensed. "You bastard…" she said, the anger was obvious, even behind the quiet sobs.

"I'm going to raise him." Orochimaru told her, "No tests, and no cruelty. He'll be like my son. I'll make him strong. I'll teach him everything I know, just like I taught you. Eventually I'll send him back to Konoha. He's an infant so it'll be a while but he'll eventually return. I want him to be a ninja. Konoha will be my home forever, even if they've rejected me and I want him to live there." He lightly brushed a tear off of Anko's cheek. "He's the key to immortality. He won't be ready for many years though. I'm guessing he'll be around eighteen before he'll be able to survive the power that will be put upon him."

"Y…you won't harm him… right? You'll treat him like a son?"

"No I won't hurt him. He will be raised as if he was my own flesh and blood." Before he could get another word out she jumped at him. He had no idea how she could get enough force to jump from her position but she managed to. She latched her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt. Orochimaru could only smile at the action. He stroked her hair as she soaked his shirt. He knew that she wasn't actually getting wet but it felt like it.

"What's his name going to be?" she asked quietly, her face still against his chest.

"His name is NaruTO." He screamed the last part. Anko stiffened as she felt a surge a Chakra around her seal. "Somebody is messing with the seal." He hissed. Deciding to ignore the slight pain he re-focused on Anko. "When he returns to Konoha, he will be looking for you. I expect you to look after him in my place. He will be able to reach me at all times so if you want to see me then you'll will be able to get to me through him." he paused for a moment, just to look at her. "I'm sorry… for everything." With that he was gone. He simply vanished from her mindscape.

**(Hokage office)**

"Mhh…Naruto." Anko mumbled in her sleep. Sarutobi looked up from his desk. How did she know that name? "Orochi…maru." She mewed the last part out. It was slightly surprising to see the small smile that had formed.

He looked at the smile and decided not to wake her up. She deserved the rest. "Hokage-sama."

He wanted to hit the intruder with something. Didn't they see the sleeping girls, shouldn't that be enough of a warning to remain quiet. Looking down at another kneeling ANBU he said, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, "Report."

"Hai." The ANBU said. If he had been talking to anyone else then there wouldn't have been a problem. Unfortunately, he was talking to his Hokage. Sarutobi heard the nervousness in his voice and he didn't like it. When an ANBU member was nervous then something was wrong. "We've searched the entire area surrounding Konohagakure. There are no living ninja in the forest area and we have yet to find the host."

Again, Sarutobi noticed the second emotion in the ANBU's words. This emotion, however, was far worse than nervousness. It was hate. "dismissed." The Hokage ordered, clearly upset. With that the room was yet again empty, with the exception of the sleeping Anko and Kurenai. "Naruto…" Anko mumbled again. Time seemed to slow down for the man as Anko mumbled the next word, "Orochimaru."

"ANBU!!"

**(Fire country border)**

Orochimaru's sweat covered body dropped to the ground. He was almost there, almost across the border. His legs were acing and he knew he was low on Chakra. He silently cursed himself for not planning a safer escape route. As it was he'd used Shushin as many times as he could and carried himself as far as he could. He didn't mind the strain it was putting on his body all he cared about was getting across the border. The ANBU couldn't track him outside of the fire country without it being directly assigned to do so and he knew that with the lack on ninja in the village there would be few out of country missions for any ninja.

He adjusted the slight weight in his arms. Naruto hadn't made a sound since he'd picked him up. In fact, the young boy hadn't even woken up. He was out cold which slightly worried the pale man. Unfortunately he couldn't act upon the worry, there wasn't enough time. Pushing his remaining Chakra to his leg's he jumped back into the trees. He was going at a speed that would be difficult for even the ANBU to follow. They would follow it too.

As soon as they caught his trail they would follow it straight to the border and then return to his sensei to inform him that the traitor had been near the village.

"Shit." He cursed as a branch snapped under his weight. Gracefully he dropped to the ground again, landing in a crouch. A small giggling noise was heard and he instantly looked down to the bundle in his arms. Inside the blanked was a very awake Naruto. His big, blue eyes looking at Orochimaru, "good morning little one." He whispered to the infant. A baby noise later and Orochimaru had a very gentle expression on his face.

He was experiencing was he considered to be an epiphany. Seeing the toddler smile up him, Orochimaru felt his heart clench. He'd sent kid's no older than this to their deaths. He sat there and watched them die before moving on to the next one to see it whatever he did had a similar effect. "Hell would be too kind for me." He said. If anyone was listening they would have heard the sorrow that was laced with each word.

There was a small tugging on his shirt. Naruto giggled again at the amused look Orochimaru gave him. The child was oblivious to the possible danger. His life was in the man's hands and he didn't even know it. "I won't hurt you little one." He whispered to the child. "I'm going to be your Tou-san." Naruto, unable to understand him, made a noise that could be classified as a grunt before pulling on Orochimaru's shirt again. Shifting the boy in his arms he brought his hands together to perform the Shushin yet again. In a 'swoosh' of leaves there was nothing.

**(Hokage's office)**

"We refuse to allow you to send any ninja after them." Danzo stated

Sarutobi was boiling under his robe. Not from the heat, no, it was because of the council. Not even twenty-four hours as Hokage and already they were trying to sway his decision. "He's the son of the fourth how in KAMI'S NAME CAN YOU REFUSE!?"

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, sending any ninja outside the village right now would hinder the reconstruction." Shikaku stated, "As of now, we are in the weakest state we've been in since the last great Shinobi war. We need as many of our forces in the village as we can get. While I do agree that we should make an effort to find the son of the forth, it would lower the number of ninja we have defending the village."

'Damn it.' Sarutobi though. He knew that of all people, Shikaku would say something like that. Shibi might but those were the only two that would use logic. He glared at his old teammates. They had a smug look on their faces. If anything he was going to get rid of that. "While my decision to search for him stands, I can't argue the fact that it would lower the already damaged security of our village." He let out a sigh and took in the sight the elders nodding, 'now.' "When we are done with reconstruction, however long that may take, I AM sending teams after Orochimaru."

This sent the three elders into confusion, "Why would you send ninja after that traitor. Despite the fact that we need to be rid of him, none our ninja can face him and come out the victor."

The Hokage simply closed his eyes and answered "Orochimaru has taken Naruto. By following Orochimaru, we may find the boy."

Koharu was the only elder to gasp. "The traitor took the Kyuubi container. This changes everything. We can't allow him to take control of that kind of power with his known hate for the village and the Kyuubi's power we would be crushed."

Danzo, who was now reconsidering his decision, threw in his thoughts. "With your permission, I could send my Root. While they wouldn't be able to fight the Sannin, they might be able to retrieve the child."

"No." Sarutobi said. It broke his heart to say it but just like the fourth, he had to choose the village. "All active ninja will remain in Konoha untill reconstruction is complete. Untill this village is safe enough, no missions will be accepted that take place outside of the fire country. Inform the Daimyo of this immediately, and that we also request aid from any allies that can send it."

"Hai." It was a strained answer but the elders had no choice but to say it. "Right away, Hokage-sama."

'I'm sorry…Naruto.'

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So!? What' ya think.

I'm going for a thousand reviews BEFORE I complete the story so review. Thanks

_Peace out!_


	2. Training

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

AN: my first few chapters might be short but I have to work up to the main part of the story. The chapters will get longer, Promise. Also I don't know if I'm saying father right in this chapter. I'm using 'Tou-san' tell me if I'm wrong and I'll change it. Also, I know that Oto is a series of bases that are in Sound country but in this it'll be an actual hidden village.

AAN: I know some people will say something about it so I'm saying it now. Naruto knows about his real parents and he respects them but to him Orochimaru is his father.

Chapter one

Training

"Wake up, Naruto."

"Nooo." The boy groaned in his sleep. It was too early to wake up. He cracked an eye open to look out the window. 'The sun isn't even up!' He thought to himself. He could see the moon out the window. He knew that it wasn't far from daybreak but still. "Give me ten more minutes."

Hanging his head, Orochimaru gripped the edge of the mattress. With a quick tug the boy was falling to the floor, his mattress on top of him. "You need to get up now, Naruto. You know what today is."

Naruto grumbled to himself as he tried to crawl out from under the mattress. Yeah, he knew what to day was, he'd been waiting for months. It didn't change the fact that he was a small child that needed sleep. He was only four years old. Normally he was woken up when the sun started to rise. He could handle that, plus, it was a good time to start the day. He would have time to run around the base and mess with his father's ninja. They all loved the boy so the trouble he caused was just laughed at by most. Some would yell at him for something he'd done. All it did was make Naruto want to do it again.

"Hurry up!"

"Hai, Tou-san!" he yelled back. As early as it was, as tired as he was, he couldn't help but smile. He was going to start jutsu today. The only reason he was so, desperately, tired was because he'd stayed up late. Too excited to sleep. His father had started him into taijutsu the month after he had mastered walking. He wasn't good at it but he still lacked the strength to make it work. Jutsu was different. His father had explained the basics of it and from what he took in all you needed was a lot of chakra and really good control. The ninja from the base had often said that the boy had unnaturally high chakra. They only talked about it when they thought he wasn't listening. He could hear their whispers. He'd always had good ears, eyes, everything. His father often praised him for his natural senses.

Orochimaru looked down at his son. He'd yet to tell him about his tenant. Such knowledge could devastate the young child. A few more years, he thought. As he turned his attention back to the hallway. "We're moving to Ta no Kuni in a few weeks. Tsuzaki spotted an ANBU squad not far from the base. I anticipated them taking longer but it doesn't matter. Ta no Kuni is an ally of Konoha. I've already convinced the Daimyo to allow me to build a village there. We can stay in one place and you can learn without the stress that Konoha places on me."

"Hai Tou-san. It'll be good to stay in one place for more than a few weeks." Naruto said quietly, honestly pleased that they wouldn't have to move around so much.

The Kitchen was empty when they arrived. Naruto found an odd sort of peace in silence. There were always people in the eating and laughing in the kitchen. The only time they were serious was when his father entered and even then, he would put them at ease, and they would get right back to it. He liked the noise, the enthusiasm of the group. This was different though. His father had a small smile on his face.

"It's peaceful without all the noise, isn't it?" Orochimaru asked.

"Hai. The usual noise is nice but I feel at ease right now." Naruto answered as he sat down.

Orochimaru went the cabinet. It'd been a while since he'd made breakfast for his adopted son. He started the oven and moved to the fridge, looking for eggs. He cooked quickly. It didn't take much effort for him to finish. Tsunade and Jiraiya had never been good cooks and unfortunately, for him, neither was his sensei. He was often the cook. "Here." He spoke quietly as he placed the plate in front of Naruto.

Naruto smiled at the plate. The last time his father cooked for him was nearly a half a year. It was a quick breakfast. Naruto ate quickly like he usually did and Orochimaru had very little. It wasn't because he didn't like the food; he was just used to eating small amounts. If you ate less then you could leave the area faster. It was a useful tactic for missions and it followed him into his home life.

They walked in silence untill they reached the dojo. Naruto looked over to the small training dummies. He hated the hunks of wood. The older ninja could destroy them completely. He could hardly dent them.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Orochimaru asked as he turned back to the boy.

Naruto grinned as he turned back to his father. "You have to ask"

**(Time skip- Naruto age 8)**

"HAJIME"

Naruto twisted his body to avoid the hail of kunai that were launched at him. Fourteen, he counted. 'Childs play', he child thought. He ran at his opponent. He threw his back leg forward. The Chunin smirked as he pulled another kunai out to stab the foot that was coming at him. A moment before the kunai could hit him, Naruto twisted himself in the air, bringing the other leg around the attack and smashing his heel into the side of the Chunin's head.

"**Kagebunshin!"** he yelled as his opponent flew across the floor. Twenty Naruto clones appeared in front of him, each holding a kunai. "Dodge these." Each clone threw their kunai, **"Kage kunai no jutsu!" **twenty kunai became hundreds as they flew at the unprepared Chunin.

Akine's eyes widened at the show of skill. "I think you've made a monster."

"Naruto isn't a monster. He simply knows when to be cruel." He watched as the Chunin tried to dodge the Kunai. Unfortunately the ones that were already in him were slowing him down. "Besides, if you think that's cruel, wait untill he finishes." Orochimaru said.

"Go!" the clones rushed at their creators command. The Chunin had three kunai in him, the others had dispelled, and was unable to defend. **"****Bunshin Daibakuha!" **in an instant, every clone that had surrounded the Chunin exploded. When the smoke cleared, the Chunin was embedded in the wall. He was either unconscious or dead, Naruto didn't care.

"Good job Naruto." Orochimaru said. Pride welled up inside him as his son approached the makeshift stand. The Daimyo of the newly named, Oto no Kuni, had requested to see the results of the training in Oto. Orochimaru had decided that it would be a perfect opportunity for Naruto to demonstrate his skills. He was a little disappointed that he only used three jutsu but they were all jutsu that normal people could only dream of using constantly. Even he, a Sannin and Kage, couldn't create as many clones as the boy.

"Thank you, Tou-san. I apologize for ending it so soon. The Jonin I fought last week used my Kage kunai against me and I was expecting something like that to happen again. I can see the difference in skill." Naruto said. His voice void of all emotion. This was his fighting mode. Cold and emotionless.

Akine was yet again shocked. He'd come to see if his hidden village was strong enough. He wanted to be disappointed at the Chunin for losing to an eight year old but then he called Orochimaru 'Tou-san". He didn't need any other explanation. He'd personally seen the sannin's skills. If the boy was anything like his father then the Chunin's defeat was the only outcome. "Otokage-sama, that was astounding. I do question your judgment for promoting the other competitor to Chunin but your son! Amazing."

"Thank you, Akine-sama. I've personally trained him. The Chunin, while above standards, wasn't prepared for the Jutsu that I've taught Naruto." Orochimaru walked down to Naruto, "you can go now. Me and the Daimyo need to continue our meeting in privet. You can return home, or to the village. Whichever you prefer." Naruto yelled out his thank you and left the dojo. Orochimaru smiled as his son left. He'd grown more attached to the boy than he thought he would. He truly considered Naruto his son.

The Chunin was removed from the wall and brought to the hospital. Several broken ribs and numerous cuts and bruises. Despite the damage he was alive. Orochimaru brought the Daimyo to his office to continue their previous meeting.

"What do you mean?"

Orochimaru sat back in his chair and sighed. He'd been dreading this part of the day. "I'm going to be retiring in two years. My son will have reached the appropriate age and we will need to leave. I wasn't expecting it so soon. I'd guessed that it would take another ten years. He is physically capable of fighting high genin to low chunin and if it was a pure jutsu fight then he can compete with some of my most experienced Jonin."

"What does your son's condition have to do with you retiring?"

Orochimaru leaned forward in his chair, his slit eyes staring directly into Akine's. "My son's condition is more important to me than this entire village. His current condition allows him to become something more than any other human in this village. He will be ready for that change in two years and at that time I will retire from my position and me and Naruto will leave this village."

"You will do no such thing! I allowed this village to be created because you would be the Kage. If you leave then I will personally end this village and mark any loyal ninja as missing-nin, your son included." As soon as the words left his mouth, extreme pressure forced him to sink into the seat. He couldn't breathe as Orochimaru's killer intent was forced upon him. He'd felt killer intent from ninja before but this was unnatural. He'd never felt it so concentrated.

"You will not threaten my son. I am already a missing-nin from Konoha and thusly wanted in all the elemental countries. My son isn't even a ninja yet. What I demonstrated today was the potential of this village's youth. He is currently in the academy learning things that I taught him when he was five. In four years he would become an official ninja. Because he hasn't, you can' mark him missing. If you tried then I would personally destroy you and everything you care about." The armrests on his chairs cracked from Orochimaru's grip

He didn't care about himself. He could take care of himself. Naruto was unbelievably strong for his age but against the hunter-nin and the ANBU Naruto wasn't going to survive long.

"I will end this village." Akine tried to threaten. It sounded more like a croak considering the Killer intent that was still being forced upon him.

Orochimaru clenched his teeth to keep from screaming. "I don't care about this village. I don't care about the ninja inside of it. I protect it. I lead it because my son needed a stable environment that I couldn't previously provide."

Akine could only glare. If he opened his mouth then the last of his air would be gone.

**(Streets of Oto)**

Naruto was walking slowly through the village. His destination was his house. Many of the homes in the village were clan homes so he considered his too. His father had told him that he had no clan name because his parents died before he was old enough to know his own name and that the village had given him the name Orochimaru but nothing else. He'd been told that his real name was Namikaze but he denied taking it. Even if he wasn't his real father, Orochimaru was the best dad he could consider having.

He moved quietly down the tiled road, watching the other people enjoy their daily life. They woke up every day with the simple desire to go through the day. The spent time with their families, talked to their friends. They just lived. He lived to protect, to kill. Before his father had even agreed to train him, Orochimaru explained what being a ninja meant. You killed, you murdered, and you did what your Kage ordered.

He recognized that he could die, and he would gladly do it for this. These people were innocent. They only wanted to live, to survive. He would gladly die for that.

"Naruto!"

He turned to the voice. He spotted Tsuzaki running through the crowd of people. He was a shorter man. His brown hair shot up making him look taller than he was. He wore the standard Jonin equipment. The only adjustment was a black jacket that he wore under the vest. Tsuzaki was his other sensei. While Orochimaru was the one who trained him most, Tsuzaki taught him the important skills.

"Are you coming today?"

"Do I ever say no." was the simple response. Tsuzaki smiled as he grabbed the boy, transporting them via Shushin. They reappeared in what looked like a forest clearing. "Where are we?"

Tsuzaki brought his finger to his lips in a 'shooshing' motion. He walked toward the tree line and motioned for Naruto to follow. Naruto grinned as he followed the man. There was little he enjoyed more than training with Tsuzaki. While Orochimaru trained him in taijutsu and ninjutsu, Tsuzaki trained him in stealth, speed, and evasion tactics. They walked slowly through the trees untill they reached a large bamboo wall.

"Do it." Tsuzaki whispered. Naruto nodded, the grin never leaving his face as he pulled out a Kunai and jabbed it into the wall. He carved two holes into the wall one for him, one for Tsuzaki. "Good job. Fifteen minute break. Then we begin the next stage of training." Again, Naruto nodded.

Fifteen minutes seemed a little short but Naruto wasn't about to pass up a 'break'. They took turns peering through the holes that Naruto had made. Naruto kept an expressionless face as he looked through them. Tsuzaki let a lecherous grin cross his face when it was his turn. The entire time neither made a noise, remaining completely silent was the only way to stay alive. It was a bit of an overstatement in this situation but he considered it that way. He didn't even want to think about the last time they made noise.

"AAAHHHH!!"

"What the hell did you do?" Naruto asked harshly as he jumped up.

Tsuzaki was already moving, "No questions… RUN!" Naruto, not willing to get caught ran, barely able to keep up with the full speed Jonin. He was proud to say that he was going that fast though. For an eight year old kid, near Jonin speed was astounding. Naruto looked back to see the female population chasing them. He almost slipped on a branch when he saw that they were still in towels. "Split!" Tsuzaki yelled. Knowing that command, Naruto cut to the left as Tsuzaki went right.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest as the sound left his ears. It was like that every time he used a constant flow of Chakra. He was currently pumping it into his legs, pushing them to go faster. He didn't understand why it happened or what caused it. The first time it happened he was practicing the Kage bunshin. He was having trouble doing it on a whim and still had to gather and separate the chakra slowly.

At first he thought it was him going deaf because of the poofing noise the clones made. Orochimaru laughed when he heard the explanation but he still looked at his son's ears. There was nothing physically wrong with them.

Sighing to himself, he kicked off the ground. Only a few of the women chasing him would be Shinobi and they wouldn't dare jump, not in towels. He ran up a larger building that he recognized as the hospital. It was ironic; if he hadn't run he would have ended up there too. He huffed as he dropped onto his butt. There weren't many places he could relax and wait for Tsuzaki. Being retired, Tsuzaki couldn't go to some of the places that all ninja could. Naruto wasn't supposed to be able to but he was the son of the Kage and most of the ninja loved him.

He pulled a kunai out of his shirt. He didn't bother with pouches. They were large and they often slowed the wearer down. Instead he wore his normal clothing. A white, zip up, tank top with a black trim around the collar and on the zipper. It was large for him, but he knew he would grow into it eventually. He had black, baggy pants that were tucked into bandages that wrapped around his shins and went into his, black sandals. He also had an elbow brace on each arm. He had two seals on the sides of his shirt, near the armpit. They were simple storage seals but they worked.

He twirled the kunai around his finger, throwing it up on occasion. As it came back down he caught it again with a different finger. It was something that calmed him down. He didn't understand why he felt calm when he was tossing a kunai around over his torso but it did.

He felt Tsuzaki's chakra signature closing in behind him. It was moving faster than he was before, and that surprised him. Tsuzaki ran at full speed most of the time. He didn't like to feel like he was out of shape but it was rare that he pushed himself past his full speed. Naruto knew the stress it put on the body so he understood why.

"Naruto!" Tsuzaki yelled.

"Ah." Naruto grunted as the yell made him miss the kunai. It cut his finger before landing on the cement roof. He licked the cut, getting the blood out, so it could heal. Within seconds the wound closed. With the small pain out of the way, Naruto turned his gaze to a panting Tsuzaki. "What is it?"

Tsuzaki hesitated a moment. Partly because he knew that what the next few hours would change the kids life and partly because he was still out of breath. Forcing himself to stay steady, Tsuzaki grabbed Naruto. He was still tired but he was a retired Jonin and running while exhausted was a normal thing. He Shushined himself and Naruto to Orochimaru's office.

Naruto wobbled a bit. He was used to the after affect of the Shushin. He used it enough to ignore the slight dizziness that it caused. His body seemed to shut down as he dropped to his knees. He clenched his fists as pain jumped through his limbs. He grinded his teeth together to prevent from screaming. "Orochimaru-Sama?" Tsuzaki asked, genuinely worried for the child.

Orochimaru was by his son's side in an instant. Naruto's normally blue eyes were glowing dark red. He didn't even need to check to see where the pain was coming from. The red was all he needed. "Kyuubi." He said quietly. Tsuzaki's neck cracked from the speed he turned it. His jaw hung slightly at Orochimaru's proclamation.

"I… I thought that it couldn't… ya' know… do anything?

"It can't." he assured. He picked Naruto up and brought him over to his desk. He knew this would happen eventually. This was the first step towards his ultimate goal. Despite the fact that he felt pleased that his plan was going to be starting a decade before he planned it; it hurt him to know that Naruto was suffering because of it. "Lift up his shirt. I need to remove a one of the seals I put on him."

Without a word, Tsuzaki pulled the hem of Naruto's shirt up. Orochimaru brought his hand over Naruto's stomach. Each one of his fingers lit on fire, a kanji symbol for the five elements in each flame. He knew this was going to hurt the boy. It was probably going to be worse than the pain he was feeling now but the pain would only escalate if he waited. He slammed his finger tips into the seal, **"Gogyō Fūin! Kai! (Five Elements Seal: Release)"**

Naruto felt his body being lit on fire. His eyes shot open, desperate to see the blaze, only to find that there was nothing. Unable to control himself any further, Naruto screamed. It was unbearable. His entire body was burning and he couldn't find a flame to put out. He thrashed around, trying to be free of the burn. Orochimaru held his son down. He couldn't do anything but wait for it to end and he knew that it would be a while.

Naruto's body stopped moving. It scared Orochimaru to feel the strength that was pushing against him suddenly disappear. He moved himself so he could see Naruto. A wave of relief passed over him. Naruto had blacked out.

"Orochimaru-Sama?" Tsuzaki asked quietly.

Orochimaru knew what he was asking and was hesitant to answer. He shifted his gaze to meet Tsuzaki's. He didn't see fear in the man's eyes like he expected. He saw worry. Worry for Naruto. Tsuzaki only wanted to know what was happening. "When he was young, I placed the 'Gogyō Fūin' on him. The Kyuubi's Chakra was eating away at him. I had to seal it off… so I did. Because the seal was on him the Kyuubi's chakra has been storing inside him, building up, waiting to be released. My seal overflowed today and I had to remove it."

"But… wouldn't that mean that Kyuubi's chakra is hurting him?" Tsuzaki asked. He didn't want Naruto hurt. Tsuzaki didn't have a family; he was an orphan before he even knew what parents were. To him, Naruto was a brother. He couldn't let his brother be hurt.

"The chakra was hurting him because he couldn't control it. Just like all Chakra, Kyuubi's needed to be controlled. Naruto couldn't control it when he was a child so I placed the seal on him. The 'Gogyō Fūin' destroys the bearers Chakra control. Naruto started to learn at a disadvantage because he had it. What's amazing is, that even with the seal, he has high-chunin, maybe even low-Jonin control. Now that the seal is gone… his control will be unbelievable."

"So… The Kyuubi won't be able to hurt him?" Orochimaru shook his head. Tsuzaki sighed in relief. The momentary peace was destroyed though. "When are you going to tell him about the Kyuubi? He deserves to know after he had to go through _that._"

"I plan on telling him tomorrow, when he is awake and stable. I have two years untill I retire and I plan on using them to teach Naruto how to control the beast's Chakra."


	3. Departure

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter Two

Departure

Naruto cursed as he looked around the room. He was at the hospital… again. He remembered calling Kyuubi's Chakra but everything after that was gone. He could feel the slight sting as he moved his body. He hated calling too much of Kyuubi's Chakra at once, It always left him in the hospital.

"Finally awake. I was beginning to get worried." Tsuzaki mumbled as he lifted himself from the chair. "Orochimaru-sama would be here too but Akine-Chan called for him." With a quick stretch and an extended Yawn and he was on his way to the door.

Naruto smirked at their nickname for the Daimyo. Tsuzaki stopped at the door and watched Naruto get out of the hospital bed. It didn't take long for Naruto to be fully dressed and ready to leave. "Hashi-san doesn't want you leaving until tomorrow. He says the burns you received should have killed you." Tsuzaki said as he opened the door for Naruto, ignoring his own words.

"You know that Kyuubi can't kill me, he won't. He'd die too and I know he won't kill himself." Naruto responded. He had to sit down and listen to Kyuubi lecture him about how he had to stay alive. Kyuubi didn't like Naruto and Naruto didn't like Kyuubi. They worked together though. Kyuubi was stuck in Naruto and he wasn't getting out. So he used Naruto as a connection to the world while Naruto used Kyuubi's chakra for power.

Tsuzaki didn't respond. He hated that Naruto was pushing himself so hard. It hadn't even been a week since Orochimaru's announcement and Naruto had gained control over another tail and he was already pushing for the next. With a sigh, he voiced his opinion. "I don't think you should try for seven tails yet. You've still got a year before we leave. Can't you take a break?"

"Yes, I could." Naruto answered. "I'm not going to though. I need to be able to use all nine tails before we leave Oto."

Orochimaru had informed them they were leaving Oto when he reached the age of ten. 'They' included Naruto, Tsuzaki, and Orochimaru himself. When Tsuzaki asked why he was coming too, Orochimaru told him that someone was needed to look out for Naruto. At that point Naruto was told to leave. Later, Tsuzaki entered the room. Naruto took notice of his mood but decided against questioning him. If his father didn't want him to know then he didn't want to hear it.

"Why?" Tsuzaki asked, his voice rising slightly. "Orochimaru and I will be more than enough to protect you. And you really don't need us to do it. You're nearly as powerful as me and that's not when you're using the foxes Chakra. Why do you need it?"

"How many ninja are alive today?" Naruto asked as they exited the hospital. He could hear some of the nurses arguing over letting him leave but it was already too late.

"A lot."

"How many are above thirty years old?"

"Not as many." Tsuzaki answered. He understood where this conversation was going. Naruto was going to tell him that if he wasn't strong then it would be harder to survive when he and Orochimaru weren't there to protect him.

"Exactly. You were there when Tou-san told me about Akatsuki. Do you think I'll have the slightest chance against any of them without Kyuubi? If I want to live past twenty five then I need to be strong." Naruto sighed as he slowed his pace. "I want to be stronger then Tou-san" he said quietly.

Tsuzaki looked down to the boy. Naruto was odd for a nine year old. He didn't have many friends. The ones he did have were all chunin or Jonin and the only times he saw them was when they sparred. Naruto would help the chunin and train with the Jonin. The only object he had that was impotent to him was his sword, which Orochimaru had gotten him. He couldn't even use it properly and he carried with him every day. "Why do you want to be stronger than Orochimaru-sama?"

Naruto smiled at the question. "Tou-san said his dream was to live forever. He said that he needed to be strong enough to survive eternity. I want to be the strongest. I want to be the most powerful ninja that ever lived. Even stronger than the Rikudō Sennin (sage of six paths)." His eyes turned to slits as his voice grew louder. "Tou-san wants to live forever so I want to live forever. I will be strong enough to survive eternity with him."

'Eternity, huh?' Tsuzaki thought. The reason for Orochimaru's treason was known to everyone. Tsuzaki had been told time and time again that immortality was a great gift but even Orochimaru, himself, had called a curse. Time left you behind, your friends died. You would be alone. "The life of a ninja is probably ideal for the life of an immortal."

"Probably." Naruto said. "You risk losing a lot. Ninja lose friends and family every day so really being a ninja and being an immortal aren't that different. It all depends on how you look at it."

Sighing, Tsuzaki dropped his head. The conversation was too serious.

"Tsuzaki?"

"What's up." he asked, shifting his head slightly so he could see Naruto

"When Tou-san does it. When he figures out how to… live forever. Would you live with us?" Naruto asked quietly. Tsuzaki was family. There may have been no relation but it didn't matter to him. Orochimaru wasn't his blood father but he was his father. Naruto didn't want to lose any of his family.

Immortality. How could he tell Naruto that he was Orochimaru's answer? Tsuzaki sighed again, "No, I wouldn't choose immortality but I would live with you. I'd leave eventually, death does that, but I'd stay untill then." He jumped behind Naruto, ducking down, and shot his head between Naruto's legs. The boy may be big but it didn't stop Tsuzaki from picking him up. "Don't think about it. Orochimaru may not figure it out." He lied, "Then we all just get to live a normal life."

"Yeah." Naruto said with a laugh. He didn't want to think about it right now. He was having fun. Why interrupt his fun with such seriousness.

**(Eight Months later/ Daimyo's office)**

He'd had it. He'd absolutely had it. Orochimaru was ignoring even his simplest requests now. He'd asked for a meeting. Nothing big, all of the Daimyo liked to know how their hidden village was doing. Orochimaru had refused. Bad timing was one thing but it'd come with the response 'I'm busy right now so leave me the hell alone!'

He knew that there was only four months left before Orochimaru would retire, he'd already received the forms. "Damn it!" he cursed. His previous threat was pointless. Otogakure couldn't be ended. It had become a permanent part of his country's economy. If he were to simply end it then his land would fall into a depression. He was out of options and Orochimaru was going to leave. He was going to leave the village, the country perhaps. He didn't even know.

"Akine-sama." Seshu started. "I must ask if it's wise for you to allow Orochimaru to leave the village. He has repeatedly informed you of his… indifference for the welfare of the village. If he were to leave then he would pose a threat to not only the village but to Oto no Kuni itself."

Akine sighed as he nodded. Seshu was one of his oldest advisers. He was one of the smartest men in sound and one of Akine's closest friends. "Of course it isn't but what can I do. He is one of the Sannin. Plus he has Tsuzaki on his side. Even in his retirement, the man is a living weapon. Not only that… he has the power of the Kyuubi. I doubt I'd be overestimating them if I say that they could destroy Oto by themselves.'

Seshu nodded to himself. They were three dangerous people and they were together. "The last I heard, the boy was only able to control eight of Kyuubi's tales before losing control. It's not much of a difference but it does say that he isn't all powerful yet."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER." Akine snapped. Taking a minute to calm down, he continued. "I can't give him the chance to gain complete control. Something needs to be done immediately and I have no idea what."

There was only silence as the two men thought. There were many options but few ended in success. They threw ideas back and forth and each one was shot down before they even got to fully explain it. "Konoha." Seshu said after what seemed to be hours. "They want Orochimaru dead, right?" Akine nodded. "As strong as he is, if we were to request aid in fighting him, then they would send their best. If we provide our strongest Jonin to help them, then I doubt even _they _would survive. The sheer numbers would put them at a disadvantage."

"They would find out about him being Oto's Kage. Then we would lose our alliance. We've been keeping it from them for too long."

Seshu smirked. "He threatened you didn't he. He said he'd kill you and destroy everything that was close to you. He is a Sannin and he is fully capable of fulfilling such a threat which would make it even more believable." He said, liking his own idea. "He threatened you, pure and simple. That's all you need to tell them. You'll be praised for risking you own life to take down a criminal."

It was almost the truth. Orochimaru did threaten him and Orochimaru could carry out his threat. He'd done worse and Akine knew it. "Do you think that Konoha will believe it?"

"The council will but I doubt their Hokage will be so easily swayed. He was Orochimaru's sensei and he knows Orochimaru so I'm willing to bet that he will doubt it but he will send help never the less. Orochimaru is an S-class missing-nin, Sarutobi has no choice."

It was true. As a member of the Sannin, Orochimaru going rogue was a worldwide event. Everybody knew and everybody was given the orders to flee on sight. If a force strong enough to eliminate him could be formed then anyone capable of providing aid would, even if they doubted the circumstances of the situation. Sarutobi would offer aid, even if he wanted to see the good in Orochimaru, he wouldn't publicly refuse to take down a missing-nin of Orochimaru's caliber.

It would call his loyalties into question and could result in him being removed from his position.

"Send word to Konoha." Akine said slowly. "Orochimaru is in Oto."

**(Otogakure / Naruto)**

He was relaxing today, it was one of the few days he could. With special training from Anbu, Orochimaru's lessons, and his brief outings with Tsuzaki, Naruto was tired. It'd been going on since he'd reached eight tails. Orochimaru had given him to the Anbu training instructors. Three in the morning to ten at night. He may have been miles ahead of the others his age but he was still ten. His body was peaking and it wouldn't be long before he simply collapsed from physical exhaustion.

That was the reason for his day off. It was a day for him to rest up, get ready for the Anbu graduation test. He knew that he was strong enough to be a real Anbu member and he'd been through their training and survived. If he was able to pass their test then he could be legally considered an Anbu member despite his age.

If he really had to gauge himself, he'd say he was on par with Tsuzaki.

His Kyuubi state was a different matter entirely. Once he hit six tails he became unstoppable. He hadn't met an enemy who could beat him past that point. He could only hold the state for ten minutes though, and he would pass out immediately afterwards. He could hold five tails for an hour so if he really needed to then he would go into the Kyuubi state to fight. Past six tails was a desperation move though. A win or die tactic. If he won, then he could pass out without worry. If he didn't then he would pass out and be left to the mercy of the enemy and would undoubtedly be put to death.

Tsuzaki had thought him to use his sword efficiently. Naruto knew that Tsuzaki didn't use a sword but he knew that he'd been in Anbu at one point in his life. Naruto knew from his own training sessions, that Anbu required basic sword training. Tsuzaki was apparently gifted in the art, though he preferred Taijutsu over Kenjutsu.

Naruto squeezed the hilt of the blade. It had a traditional katana hilt. The diamond shaped lining was done in light blue thread that made the entire hilt seem to emit a soft glow. The guard was golden with five points sticking out of it, giving it a star shape. The blade itself was what Naruto liked most about his sword. Unlike the traditional silver blades that most katana held, his was black. Pure, solid black. No light reflected off it, no glare came from it. It was as if the blade was made from darkness itself and Naruto loved it.

The sky was a light blue, the sun shining brightly. It was peaceful days like this that Naruto treasured. He stared up at the sky, watching the clouds float through the sky. It was so easy to get lost in the quiet that the small training field. He'd fallen asleep several times already. He woke shortly and returned to his cloud gazing. It had to be past three in the afternoon but he still felt no need to move. He'd been training endlessly, for what seemed like forever. Even he knew that he needed a break.

This was a perfect way to spend a day off.

This was the sight Orochimaru found when he entered the training ground behind his house. He had been in a relaxed state all day. He knew why now. The scene seemed romantic (Not the lovey dovey kind of romantic. I mean the 'a person should follow their dreams' romantic) to him. Naruto was sitting in nature, completely at ease with the himself. "Naruto." He said quietly, saddened at disturbing the peaceful scene. Unfortunately, they were out of time and 'peaceful' wasn't something that was possible at the moment

Naruto turned his head to see his father standing at the edge of the field. "What's up Tou-san?" He asked.

"Meet Tsuzaki at the southern gate in an hour." He said, none of the stress he felt showing in his voice.

Naruto groaned as he propped himself up. "Is it a mission or another training excursion?" he asked. He didn't question his father about the trip either way. Today may have been his day off but he was a ninja of Oto. He'd been made a ninja at nine. It was the only way to enroll him in all the training courses that Orochimaru had put him in. he didn't mind them at all. They were all hell but they made him stronger.

Being a ninja meant that he never had a 'real' day off. He could be called on any time if he was really needed.

"Neither." Orochimaru said. He looked over Naruto one last time before answering. He considered himself responsible for Naruto's current state. He was a calm, relaxed, happy, cold blooded killer. He was only nine, almost ten, years old and he was already suffering the life most Chunin hadn't yet lived through. He hardly seemed to care though. It didn't seem like he was affected at all by the death. Even his first kill had been effortless, painless.

Orochimaru, the S-Class Missing-nin, had been troubled by his first kill. Naruto wasn't though. As his father, Orochimaru wished he'd had a normal childhood and in retrospect, he should have given it to him. Instead he'd trained him, taught him ninjutsu that were forbidden and Naruto absorbed everything. Never caring what he was taught as long as he became stronger because of it.

"My spies have given me… troubling news." Orochimaru told him. "It seems our dear Daimyo has called for help in making sure that we do not leave. Konoha will be sending Jonin to Otogakure soon and we cannot be here when they arrive. We're moving ahead with the plan. Meet Tsuzaki at the gate and leave with him. I'll meet you at the valley of the end. From there Tsuzaki and I will handle things."

That meant that Orochimaru couldn't tell him what was going to happen. Either because he wouldn't be able to handle it, in Orochimaru's opinion, or Orochimaru simple didn't know what was going to happen from that point onward.

Naruto sighed as he stood up. Things weren't supposed to happen so fast. He was supposed to have four more months to train. Four months to gain control of the ninth tail. That wasn't going to happen apparently and it was rather unsettling. His father wouldn't push a plan ahead unless there was no other option. That meant that the Konoha forces may be enough to take him down. "I'll meet you then Tou-san." He said.

Professionalism was needed during times like this, even if it was his father he was talking to, he would show the respect a Kage deserved.

He spent the next forty five minutes preparing. He didn't own any personal items and really the only thing he truly needed were clothes. He sealed all his clothes into a scroll before sealing it into his left elbow brace. With that done he attached his sword to its strap on the back of his belt so it was horizontal to his body and left the house for what was most likely to be the last time.

He moved quickly through the village, not even thinking about what Orochimaru was going to be doing while he was running.

"Naruto!" Tsuzaki was standing at the gate with another ninja that Naruto didn't recognize. He chose to ignore it yet again as he knew his father had everything planned. "We're moving now." was all that was said as the three set out, flying through the trees as fast as their legs would take them. Otogakure was about fifty seven miles from the valley of the end so it would take a few hours for them to get there.

It actually surprised him how easily they left the village. It was his understanding that Oto was more… capable of preventing ninja from going rouge. They had simply walked out the gate. He knew that getting in required signing in with date, time, reason for entering the village, (if you were simply visiting) when you would be leaving. That list was checked daily and the visitors were monitored by high level Chunin and low level Jonin. Ninja that left the village were hardly even paid attention too, apparently, especially if they were well known.

Tsuzaki and he were both known throughout the village. Naruto wasn't sure who the third member was but he was traveling with the two of them so the guards didn't really care.

Stupid, unintelligent, flat out imbecilic.

He was still a child, after all, and sometimes his imagination got a hold of him. He'd imagined an impossible escape but they'd simply walked out. He idly wondered if it would be the same when Orochimaru left. It made sense that they would simply let him walk out but why? Naruto honestly wondered. The Kage's job inside the village and it hardly ever required them to leave. Though the Kage was supposed to be _the_ loyalist ninja in the village. They probably thought they didn't have to worry about him leaving.

They probably thought he was simply taking a trip or something along those lines and he would be back before long. Poor misguided minds.

Not all of them, of course, he had friends in the village. The next time he saw them they would be his enemies though, something he wasn't looking forward to but he knew in the end, to stay with his father, he would have to do things he didn't agree with and frankly he was fine with that.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Cliffhanger sorta. The next chapter might surprise a few people hopefully. I don't really expect any of you to guess what's going to happen so have fun.

Peace Out!


	4. Shiki Fūjin

AN: Okay! Today you see why Tsuzaki is a living weapon (if your remember Seshu talking to Akine). Really I'm taking this power from another show. It's a manga really but I _wish_ they would make an Anime out of it. It's called Deadman Wonderland. Positively amazing manga if you don't mind blood guts and horrible dismemberment. Anyway, for those of you who don't know anything about the manga I'll give a brief description of what Tsuzaki can do when it happens. For more info look the manga up. You won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Deadman Wonderland!

Chapter Three

Shiki Fūjin

He wasn't bored, exactly, but he wasn't amused. They'd been waiting at the valley of the end for nearly eighteen hours and Orochimaru still hadn't shown up. Normaly Naruto wouldn't have minded the wait if there a sky out. The valley of the end, unfortunately, was always dull, grey. You could never see the blue above the clouds.

Tsuzaki was gone, scouting the area.

Then there was the third member of their group. He looked like a normal Chunin but Naruto could feel his Chakra. While not a powerful or large as Tsuzaki's reserves he was still easily Jonin level. He had brown hair, down to his shoulders, and matching eyes. Beyond that he really had no noticeable characteristics. Normal Oto Chunin garb (same as Konoha's), and a black hitai-ate (forehead protector)

He didn't know the man's name and he wasn't really interested in learning. Still, he was with them and that meant he had to be of some importance to Orochimaru. That warranted at least a name.

"I'm Naruto." He started, "Who are you."

"Asuka." Was the only response Naruto got.

"Soooo, Asuka, why are you with us? I thought it was only going to be me, Tsuzaki and Tou-san. I was never told anything about you joining us." With nothing else to do a conversation with the stranger didn't seem that bad.

The man, Asuka as he was now known, looked over at Naruto. He'd heard stories about the so called genius. This was the boy who was training for Anbu at the age of nine. It was hard to believe, though, that this was actually the same boy. He'd expected a cold, emotionless, ninja. He'd molded himself that way and he knew he was more powerful than most of the Chunin his age. This boy was so… relaxed. He wasn't emotionless and he hardly seemed cold.

'Orochimaru-sama did train him though.' he told himself when he wondered why the boy was so powerful.

Finally, after a few moments of pondering, he answered Naruto's question. "Otokage-sama personally asked me to join in this training session. Though he didn't mention he would be joining us personally." He'd been rather surprised when Orochimaru asked him to join them. He had accepted obviously, who wouldn't. He'd been told he would be training with Naruto and Tsuzaki. Both were two of the strongest Shinobi the village had. He'd of been an idiot not to accept.

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment which Asuka failed to notice. Asuka didn't know that they'd fled the village. It was a slight surprise but it was something Naruto shrugged off. If he didn't know why they'd left then he was likely a pawn. "He should be here shortly." He answered, "Tou-san had to finish some things up with the council before he could leave and the council can sometimes be… troublesome."

Naruto still had no idea what Orochimaru was actually doing but his excuse was sufficient in sating Asuka's curiosity. The man would easily accept it as the truth so long as it was from him or Tsuzaki, his superiors.

Asuka nodded before he refocused on doing… whatever he was doing, Naruto couldn't really tell. Naruto himself simply looked back to the dull sky. The short conversation with Asuka told Naruto that Orochimaru definitely had a plan. He wasn't sure what it was, he hadn't even been told that they were bringing a third party member, but he knew that it would get them somewhere safe. He trusted his father after all.

**(With Orochimaru)**

He was getting close to the valley of the end. It was taking longer than he'd planned but he hadn't expected his job to be so difficult.

The plan was to get Naruto and Tsuzaki to Konoha. He wanted Naruto to be a ninja there and Anko would definitely want to see the boy. There was a problem though. Naruto and Tsuzaki were registered members of Oto. It had taken hours to find everything that linked them to the village. There were Shinobi license, Check stubs, housing records, and even bank accounts. He had to get rid of every trace of their existence in Oto.

It wasn't easy, or amusing, but he had to do it. He considered himself lucky that he was able to find, collect, and destroy all the evidence as quickly as he had. It might have taken anyone else days to do it.

He didn't have that luxury.

Time wasn't on his side and that was the biggest problem he had faced. He'd bribed and threatened several villagers and ninja to get all the forms and documents.

It was done though and he had to catch up with the group.

He knew he'd have to act like it was a training trip, fool Asuka, until they were in fire country. After that the boy would prove his use and then they wouldn't have to worry about him at all. He was a bishop on the chess board. More necessary than a pawn but no less expendable.

He slowed slightly when he felt Naruto's Chakra signature. His reserves were so massive that he might never be able to completely control them, or hide them. A flaw for most but an effective weapon with Naruto. To Orochimaru his reserves felt like a seasoned Jonin but he knew that Naruto was doing his best to conceal it. The boy's Chakra reserves were close to surpassing his own and it scared him.

Not In a fearful way, no he wasn't afraid of Naruto, he was scared for those who would fight the boy when he reached the peak of his potential.

He pushed such thoughts away as he came to a complete stop. The group wasn't even twenty feet away from him now. Naruto was doing a one handed hand stand on the ledge of the valley while Tsuzaki randomly tossed kunai at him. Asuka watched them with mild interest, wishing he trusted his body enough to do what Naruto could.

Orochimaru's face held a dark expression as he ghosted into the area. Tsuzaki and Naruto felt him instantly. "Grab him." he ordered with a glance to Tsuzaki. There was a snake like hiss in his voice as he gave the command. "We're moving." He spared a quick look at Naruto as he continued onward. He didn't stop at all as he approached the ledge Naruto had just been balancing on. He reached it and without a second thought he crouched down and forced himself into the air.

Naruto watched as his father sailed through the air, over the valley, and to the other side. He let a smirk show on his face as he turned back to Tsuzaki. "Don't drop him now." with that he let himself fall backward over the edge. Asuka and Tsuzaki both felt the sudden rush of Chakra as Naruto kicked off the side of the wall and all but flew to the other side.

"Show off." Tsuzaki grumbled as he turned to Asuka. "Don't struggle or I'll knock you out." Asuka nodded before Tsuzaki grabbed him and threw his body over his shoulder. He was glad the boy agreed so easily. Exhaustion was biting at him and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to listen to the boy whine without killing him and that would ruin Orochimaru's plans.

"Who is he?" Naruto asked when he stopped next to his father.

"Someone that is vital to the next step."

"Will he live?"

"No."

Naruto sighed just as Tsuzaki landed and shrugged Asuka off his shoulder.

"The valley of the end is the border between Oto no Kuni and the Hi no Kuni. We are now officially in the land of fire." He glanced at Tsuzaki, who only nodded in response. "As of now our training begins. Naruto, you're with me, Asuka-san, you will go with Tsuzaki. Each team will take a different path and we will meet in tanzaku-gai. This is a simple training exercise, first one there wins. Be sure not to get caught by any Leaf Shinobi. They might not like Oto-nin on their territory."

"That's it?" Asuka, now standing, asked. "Seems fairly easy."

"I said it was simple." Orochimaru stated before turning. "Come on Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded and the pair disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Asuka turned back to Tsuzaki. There was a second when he noticed a feral look in Tsuzaki's eye but it was gone so quickly that he dismissed it as his imagination. "Shall we go Tsuzaki-sensei?"

"Just Tsuzaki. I hate honorifics" he said before puffing out his chest. "Yes, let's go." He lead, Asuka not fully knowing where they were going. It wasn't long before started to get impatient at their pace.

They were walking!

He wanted to impress Orochimaru here, he wanted to win. They were walking though and he knew that there was no way they would get there first. "We'll arrive there before the day is out. Despite Orochimaru-Sama's tone Tanzaku-gai is fairly close to the border. It's the farthest town from Konoha at the heart of Hi no Kuni. The path Orochimaru-sama and Naruto took will take them slightly around the city before entering it. Were going straight too it."

That set aside some of his worries but he still had an odd feeling. It had appeared when he saw the look on Orochimaru's face. It looked… evil. That was the only word that really worked. Tsuzaki and Naruto seemed to mirror the man's look as they bounded over the valley but now that he was on the ground, on his feet, he was looking into that feeling. It felt, dangerous. He didn't like it at all.

Tsuzaki ended up being right, they did reach the city quickly, though not as fast as Asuka would have liked. When he realized that they had, indeed, won the exercise the feeling in his gut weakened slightly but it was still there. It disappeared further when he and Tsuzaki sat down at one of the local bars to have a drink before the other pair arrived.

Asuka sat at the booth as Tsuzaki had offered to get the drinks. He returned with sake. That hadn't surprised him. What did it was the kind. It was the bar's best. The kind you paid an arm and a leg for. He drank it eagerly, happy to enjoy such a drink. It was after his first swig did he feel light headed. It only lasted a second before he slumped over in his seat.

"Sorry kid." Tsuzaki said as he grabbed the bottle. It really was the good stuff and there was no point in wasting it. He drank it slowly, letting it work its way into his system. He could flush it out before he had to find Orochimaru but he wanted to be wasted at the moment. A little celebration if you would. A new chapter in his life was about to begin and he really didn't know what he was going to do.

He knew that he'd stay with Naruto.

It wasn't so much a choice as he knew he couldn't do anything other than that.

Naruto was still young and as powerful as he was, it would all be wasted if he were left alone with Kyuubi. He needed an outside source of support and that's what Tsuzaki would be.

"Kyaaaa" he sighed as he slammed the empty bottle on the table. He glared at the body that was lying across from him. The sake had his blood in it. A small bit but it was more than enough for his bloodline to take effect. Juushin Shinjuu. It allowed him to hold control over his blood. More than that though, it let him use it as a weapon. Poison in this case. The second his blood entered his opponent's body it allowed him to control their senses. He'd simply used it to knock him out. Later it would be used to control his body.

He'd done that before and it would be relatively simple to do again. One thing that he'd never done, though, was forcibly mold his enemy's Chakra. Theoretically it was possible since the action was controlled by the brain and he had full control of their brain but the action itself, he knew, wouldn't be that simple.

It was a matter of practice, he knew, but he had no time to practice. He'd spent years simply trying to make another person move against their will. It was difficult at first, now it was easy at best and slightly straining at worst. He wasn't sure what the affect would be on Naruto. He'd never tried his power on a Jinchuriki and he didn't know how the Bijuu would react to his control. It wasn't a risk he wished to take.

With a huff he got out of the booth and grabbed his charge.

It didn't take long to meet up with Orochimaru and Naruto outside the city. Both looked rather tired and he raised his eyebrow to that. Naruto, realizing his question, answered. "We had a minor… disagreement. It's been resolved."

In reality Orochimaru had stopped and had randomly attacked him. Naruto responded immediately, drawing his sword and fighting back. It had been a long fight compared to their training sessions and they'd hauled ass to get the city. Naruto didn't know why he'd suddenly attacked him though he did have a hunch.

Orochimaru himself was testing his son. If everything went as planned then he wouldn't be able to physically protect Naruto. He needed to know that Naruto was capable of doing it himself and he hadn't been disappointed. He hadn't been this exhausted after a fight since he'd fought his sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Naruto wasn't as strong as him but he was definitely able to protect himself.

"Is he ready?" Orochimaru asked moving on.

"Asuka's ready. I'd like to do something first, a random Jutsu, to make sure I'll be able to mold his Chakra correctly." Tsuzaki responded. He still wasn't completely sure of himself. He wanted to at least test himself before he used the Jutsu.

"That's fine. Now follow me. No noise, no tracks, and cover your Chakra as best you can." They moved out immediately.

Naruto was biting his lip to refrain from asking what they were doing. He was naturally curious and not knowing what was happening was driving him crazy. He knew better, of course, sometimes you weren't told everything so that you could complete the mission easier. Other times lacking info was dangerous, fatal, in their line of work.

He tried his best to push away his thoughts as he continued to follow behind his Tou-san. It was dark, damp, and the forest was eerily quiet. Something had spooked the animals enough for them to stop making noise completely. It was odd and it sent a chill down his spine as he noticed Orochimaru slow. They came to a stop just as they passed through the tree line into a small clearing no more than ten feet wide.

"Here" he said. "Tsuzaki, do whatever you have to. You've got ten minutes." he turned to Naruto and motioned for him to follow him. Naruto did and the two walked a ways into the forest, out of hearing range. When Orochimaru stopped again he stood quietly, his back to Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto." he said after a moment.

"For what, Tou-san?"

"Everything I've done while raising you has been focused on your training. In retrospect I feel as if I would have done it differently, raised you differently." He finally turned to face him. "I would have raised you as a Konoha Shinobi if I could have, let you grow up there. It's a nice place, beautiful really; I know you'll like it there."

It was the tone, Naruto realized, that had him on edge. It was distant and it was bugging him. "It sounds like you won't be joining me there." Naruto said, letting his thoughts be known.

Orochimaru shook his head, "No… No I won't be. Not physically. You'll understand what I mean when we rejoin Tsuzaki."

Naruto shivered. He'd never been away from Orochimaru, from his father. He didn't know what he would do. "Tsuzaki will stay with me?" Orochimaru nodded. He supposed that helped slightly. Not much though. 'Screw it.' he thought as he stepped forward and hugged his father. Orochimaru put his arms around him, holding him there. It would the last time he felt his son for years.

"You remember Anko." He asked.

"Yes."

He'd been told stories of his father's student and he'd seen her pictures. There was one in his father's room on his dresser and one in his office. He didn't need to be told that she was important to him.

"She's been waiting to meet you for years. When you and Tsuzaki arrive in Konoha you'll seek her out. She won't have any problem with keeping you two till you can find a place of your own. She'll be a friend and a mother to you Naruto."

Naruto didn't respond. Instead they stood there silently, relishing the last moments.

"Come." Orochimaru said as he pushed Naruto away. "We've kept them waiting long enough."

When they got back to the clearing Tsuzaki was sitting behind Asuka who was standing his eyes wide as if he were in pain. "What is he doing to him?" Naruto asked.

"Tsuzaki's bloodline allows him to manipulate his enemy by controlling the signals their brain sends to their body. Asuka has no control over his body at the moment and its hurting him because he's resisting." Orochimaru explained. "Now take your shirt off and lay down in front of him for me Naruto."

Naruto did as he was asked. The ground was damp as he'd observed earlier and it was making his back wet which in turn was making him cold. He suppressed his shiver as he watched Orochimaru sit down cross-legged next to him.

"I'm not going to lie to you Naruto. What's about to happen will be painful for both of us. I'm hoping that this will help you slightly," he said as he pulled a covered syringe out of his robe. He slid the cover off and steadied Naruto's arm. "This will numb your body. You won't be able to move but it will lessen the pain." Naruto nodded and Orochimaru slid the needle into his arm and pressed down on the plunger.

'Don't flush this out, Kyuubi.' Naruto told his demon. The fox had a tendency to flush out any chemicals that entered his body. It wasn't always bad but he didn't want this one gone especially if whatever was about to happen was really going to be that painful.

'**I wasn't planning on it.'**

'Good.'

Whatever his father had given him was working quickly. His body felt heavy and breathing seemed to be the only thing that still seemed easy. "Can you feel it working Naruto?"

"Yes." Naruto responded. It was hard to speak as well.

"Good, Tsuzaki…" Naruto heard the hesitation in the pale man's voice. It was odd, quite honestly. Orochimaru planed everything out which meant that this was planned. Why did he seem hesitant then? "Start."

"Hai."

Tsuzaki closed his eyes and focused his mind. He'd been able to make Asuka's body fire off a rather large fire ball with relative ease but this was a more complicated Jutsu. 'Okay.' he mentally told himself as he surged Asuka's Chakra and began into the hand seals.

Hand seals were meant to help the user manipulate the Chakra correctly to from the Jutsu and while they were helping; Tsuzaki was doing a majority of the manipulation himself. It took longer than a normal ten seal Jutsu should have and when he opened his eyes he could see Orochimaru staring at him impatiently. He brought Asuka's hands into the final seal **"Shiki Fūjin**!**" **Asuka's voice called out.

Naruto knew that, if he could, he would have tensed at the name of the Jutsu. Orochimaru had shut his eyes right before Asuka's hands started to move. He knew all about this Jutsu though, even if he didn't see it happen, and he now understood why Orochimaru wouldn't be joining him in Konoha. Orochimaru was a missing-nin but Naruto had seen him use Jutsu, other than henge, which allowed him to look like someone else.

He hadn't understood what the problem was. Now he did.

"Naruto-kun." Orochimaru said quietly. "I will be sealed within you like Kyuubi. You may gain a trait or two like your whiskers but other than that there will be no way to tell I'm within you. Only you and Tsuzaki will know and I'd like you to tell Anko as well."

'_I hadn't expected another calling so soon. Nor did I expect you to be here again, young Naruto-kun.' _

Naruto knew who was talking, the Shinigami, the death god. It surprised him that the god knew his name and part of him wondered why.

'_Your father was the last and first to summon me. I remember everything about that day especially you… now. On to business. I was called here for a purpose.'_

"You're to seal Orochimaru into Naruto." Asuka's answered.

Orochimaru looked down on his son before glancing up to the white, semi-translucent, figure before him. It was awing to be in his presence and he briefly wondered if Naruto's true father had felt the pure power that seemed to leak off the god. It was an awful feeling, but it did inspire a certain… respect.

The god was exactly what he wanted to be. Omnipotent, all powerful, undeniably the strongest thing he'd ever met. If not this, what was he aspiring to?

'_Another seal on Naruto-kun.'_ The God looked down to the boy._ 'Such a dangerous life you live, boy. Enjoy.'_ Before Orochimaru could say anything, or even move, a blue hand shot from the Shinigami's stomach and into Asuka's body. Another Hand shot out of the boy's chest, and slammed into Orochimaru.

He'd been in pain, every ninja alive had at some point. He'd survived every experiment, every battle, and every torture that life had thrown at him yet it all seemed so… lovely. He wanted that pain back, wanted it to erase the PAIN! He couldn't move anything without feeling flames hotter than the Amaterasu explode inside his veins. Pain wasn't an accurate word for the suffering he was in now.

No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. Pain couldn't describe the agony that flowed within him. The very choice to be sealed inside Naruto was now a horrible one. Why had it ever seemed like a good idea? What had compelled him to want… this! He tired to scream, He wanted to, it would release some of the tension that was so quickly building up inside him. Nothing in his body was working though. His arms wouldn't function, wouldn't thrash like he wanted them to and his legs wouldn't move.

'God', if there was one, 'spare me.' Those were the only words running through his head, the only real though he could form.

And then the pain was gone, a cage appeared around him, and darkness came.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Hmmmm, I didn't like this chapter but it was necessary to get to the main plot which will begin in the next chapter. Naruto will also meet Kurenai in the next chapter and I'm having difficulty deciding how to make them meet. With that said I am asking you, my ever so lovely readers, to tell me how you'd like them to meet and under what circumstance. Know that he will only be with Kurenai in this story and the next chapter must take place within a week of the end of this chapter time-line wise.

Peace Out!


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